Improved check-hook



UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

II. A. COLLINS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPRQVED CHECK-HOOK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,834, dated August 16, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. A. COLLINS, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inY vented a new and Improved Water or Check Hook for Harness-Saddles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the construction and operation of the same.

Every person accustomed to the management ot' a horse understands the use of a water or cheek hook on a harness-saddleviz., to form a convenient means of confining the check-rein for the purpose of keeping the head ofthe horse in a proper position. Now, with the hooks in common use there has been one of two diftculties-they have been so constructed that the process ot' inserting the rein was very troublesome, orA else the rein has been very liable to become unhooked. Vhen a spirited horse is uneasy, it is not a simple matter to get the rein into many of the hooks in common use, owing to the numerous crooks and narrow openings which are made to prevent it from coming out accidentally; also, it' these precautions are not taken, the horse will often cause the rein to come out while driving, which is always exceedingly disagreeable, as every personcau testify who has been accustomed to drive good horses. I

The object of my invention is to make a hook such that the rein can be inserted without twisting, and in such a manner that the motion of the horses head will cause but little trouble, and at the same time one that will hold the rein securely against any accidental escape and still allow it to be removed by the. hand without the least difculty.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a harness-saddle provided with my improved hook. Fig. -2 is a section of the same hook; and Fig. 3 is a section of a hook constructed somewhat different-ly, but accomplishing the same object in substantially the same manner. Y

I will first describe Figs. l and 2. A is the saddle; B, the hook; C, a spring-tongue attached to the top of the saddle by the bolt a,

that holds the hook. The top ofthe spring v comes nearly in contact with the back end of the hook, and is curved back a little, so that on bringing the rein back and pressing the edgevdown between the tongue and hook the spring yields enough to allow the rein to pass into the hook. Now, it will be seen that this operation is performed with the rein in its natural position without any twisting, so that all that is necessary is just to grasp the rein and bring it back onto the hook and drop it directly down, and all is secure. Io remove the rein the same process reversed is sufficientjust bring the rein back against the tongue and carry it up in its` natural position between the tongue and hook. Y

Vhiie the matter ot' inserting and removing the rein by the hand is so simple, there is no possibility of an accidental escape, because before the rein can pass out the tongue must be pressed back, and although the motion of the horses head may throw the rein intoalmost every possible position, it can have no vdirect power sufficient to press back the spring.

In Fig. 3, D is the hook proper. E is a tongue hinged to D at f. F is a spring inserted in the saddle and pressing against the tongue D, thus keeping it pressed up to or nea-r to the hook and operating in the same manner as the spring-tongue G.

vThe invention and its operation are both so 

